If I was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, I would not forgive Indian politicians and the country's media for a long time. Perhaps Mr. Trudeau will forgive, but as a Canadian with Indian roots, I definitely will not. Ever.

But mark my words, Trudeau's India visit will turn out to be a long-term relationship disaster for India and not for Canada. As an honest, liberal, positive and a truly warm Canadian, the prime minister does not need to re-invent himself. On the other hand, Indians could do some re-thinking themselves.

True, Mr. Trudeau went overboard, as he sometimes does. Those heavily embroidered and garish Indian tops called 'Kurtas' were an eyesore even to most Indians. We never wear such fancy attire, except special occasions when it is considered chic to have an "Indian look". Perhaps he was either misguided by his coterie of South Asians who love their Bollywood movies or by the huge applause he gets when he wears such costumes at cultural events in Canada. After all, it is a pleasure for the South Asians to see a white leader wear ethnic attire and dance to Indian tunes. Here in Canada it is genuinely considered a mark of respect to the community and a desire to accept their culture.

Unfortunately, India mistook this for Mr. Trudeau's weakness and showed its boorish side.

In fact, it was evident right from the start that the Indian political elite which hates the liberal agenda and which has turned markedly right-wing and conservative in recent years would not take to the Canadian prime minister. They not only sent a junior minister to officially welcome him, but also ensured that the media coverage he received was low and negative. Slowly the plan was put into effect: his clothing became the object of derision, the motives of his trip questioned, his comments called into question, his guest lists scrutinized, and lo and behold, we had a feel-good trip turned into a PR nightmare.

Treating guests in India

I will not go into the details of how he was treated by Indian and thereafter Canadian and foreign media. How he was made to look like a fool when he was just being a warm human being. I would rather focus on what I think will happen following this trip and let Indians know about the blunder they have just committed.

Here was a guest, who in keeping with Indian traditions was to be treated like a God, who arrived in all humility – always bowing to local traditions, even dressed in their attire to please the locals, showing due respect all all the shrines and institutions revered and loved by Indians, who took his family along and persuaded them to dress the Indian way. Who could ever imagine that he would face ridicule at home, especially from the political opponents baying for blood ready to portray him as a weakling.

But, more importantly, what is wrong with India? How many times have we had world leaders come to India and respect Indian ways? How happy you've been when theyoccasionally wear Indian attire for an event and grooved with you? How many times have you hoped that they genuinely like your cuisine, your culture, your music and your own self? And when a man, a nation's leader, whole-heartedly opens up his soul and gives you a warm hug, you pull back?

So what if he went overboard. Is it wrong to try too hard?

Canada - India relations

Mr. Trudeau will recover from all this. After all, he did nothing wrong. But chances are India will experience the famous Canadian chill for decades to come.

The relationship between Canada and India may go into cold storage. Not just Canadians, but countries the world over, especially in the Western world, would be less trusting of India, especially if their political views differ. Other world leaders will definitely be more reserved during their Indian visits and never again would any Western leader open up as much as Mr. Trudeau did to Indian traditions and culture.

As for the invitation extended to a convicted would-be assassin for a Trudeau event, let us review the facts there too. First, the guest lists and invitees are not put together by Mr. Trudeau or any political leader himself. Second, if facts serve me right, Jaspal Atwal was convicted as a terrorist and served his sentence for close to two decades and has gone on record saying after his release saying that he regrets his action. He has already faced punishment for his crime and now walks free in Canada and has all the rights as any other Canadian.

He was visiting India because India too removed his name from the blacklist and granted him a visa. So, how long would you keep crucifying a person for an act in the past? Using the same logic, a lot of political leaders in India who were anti-state at one time should also be blacklisted for life. If anyone is to blame, it is India's double standards.

True, the "Khalistan movement" is dead in India, as it should be. It also does not ignite the minds of a majority of Indo-Canadians any more. But, the fact still remains, that a large part of the Punjabi community that resides in Canada came here in the 1980s and early 1990s after witnessing various atrocities committed to their near and dear ones at different times. The wounds have healed, but the scars still remain for children who grew up without fathers, or men and women who suffered in their youth. These can only be healed by love and acceptance and not by hate and segregation.

By turning your back on Mr. Atwal, who has already paid for his crime, you alienate many other Indo-Canadians and rub fresh salt on old wounds. Alas, one should have expected that out from a newly militant India and its biased media.

Put this behind you

I only hope that Mr. Trudeau and the Liberal Party does not take the criticism to heart in the context of Canadian diversity. The party's welcome to immigrants, working towards enabling equality, justice and acceptance in Canadian communities, and enabling greater respect for all humans should continue. Mr. Trudeau's evident love for the Indo-Canadian community must not diminished due to unfair coverage by Indian media, which appears semi-controlled by right-wing Indian politicians.

As an Indo-Canadian, I am ashamed about the way India treated our Prime Minister. My advice: please forget this and move on. Thank you for opening your heart.

And, yes, the next time at Diwali or Gurupurb, please bring out those Bhangra dance moves again.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s arrival in New Delhi on February 17 for a week-long state visit marks the 12th visit by a member of his cabinet to India, and given his position, the most important one.

The significance of Trudeau’s visit is clear — India matters to Canada, as a friend and a trading partner with still-unrealized potential at a time when Canada seeks to broaden and deepen its international markets.

"The building blocks are there. Two-way trade between Canada and India was nearly $8 billion in 2016, even though there have been setbacks and slow progress in formal trade talks."

Canada and India have been talking for a while about reaching more comprehensive trade and investment agreements. But the real significance of this visit is already comprehensive — there’s a positive shift in our relationship that we’re ready to build on together.

The building blocks are there. Two-way trade between Canada and India was nearly $8 billion in 2016, even though there have been setbacks and slow progress in formal trade talks.

We do that amount of two-way trade with the United States every four days. But when it comes to Canada-India trade, the modesty of the numbers is a reflection of the past, not the promise of the future.

The obstacles are obvious too. Late last year, Indian government officials slapped an increased tariff on pulses — the little yellow peas that are a staple in South Asia, which Canadian farmers export to India.

Yet we have common ground. Canada is the biggest contributor of pulses to India, and India benefits when our supply is not constricted by tariffs.

There’s no substitute for a meeting between two leaders to reach a better understanding and make it easier to trade commodities.

Canada and India have been negotiating those free trade and investments agreements for some time now — and they may well take longer. That doesn’t negate the need for a sustained engagement with India across multiple sectors.

This visit is an opportunity — to find more common ground. The elements for stronger trade, business and investment relationships between Canada and India are apparent in the number of sectors that are robust and growing yet still relatively untapped.

There are huge opportunities to expand in tourism, research and skills, medical science, technology and innovation.

Some trading partners in the world lament a brain drain, where talented people leave. Between Canada and India it’s a brain chain, where the best and brightest in both countries complement and bolster each others’ achievements.

For example, Canada is one of the most welcoming countries, reflected in our increased immigration targets at a time when others in the G7 are cutting back.

More than a million Canadians trace their roots to India; they provide a natural bridge to newcomers. Canada has increasing potential as a magnet for higher education among promising Indian students, which contributes to research and innovation in both countries.

Canadians and Indians also share many similar attitudes and values in their outlook to solving global problems. On the economic front, Indian states now embrace cooperative and competitive federalism, marketing themselves internationally the way our provinces do.

Canadians and Indians also share many values when it comes to pluralism and diversity, and both countries are in sync on combatting climate change and the Paris Accord.

Public institutions in both countries have legitimacy in ways that either don’t exist in other places or are under severe strain.

Global studies such as the Pew Global Survey and 2018 Edelman Public Trust Barometer show that Canada and India rank consistently high in the public’s trust of institutions.

The strong Canadian team led by Prime Minister Trudeau, who is accompanied by senior Cabinet ministers, demonstrates Canada’s commitment to a wider and deeper relationship with India.

The Canadian brand is a compelling one that resonates with India. There is nothing like a prime ministerial visit — it provides an extraordinary platform to demonstrate the breadth and depth of our engagement.

Kasi Rao is President and CEO of the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC). Republished under arrangement with iPolitics.

The Philippines is one of the Asia Pacific economies bound to get hit by the impact of possible shifts in foreign policy in the United States after the November elections, credit watchdog Moody’s Investors Service said in a report released this week.

Nomura, an Asia-based financial services group also shared the same view, said the Manila Times.

New writers are using mentorship opportunities to create and share more diverse and inclusive stories about Toronto’s history and culture.

“What we want to do is to create a living history of Toronto through literature [and] make it as diverse as the city itself,” says Helen Walsh, the president of Diaspora Dialogues – a charitable society made up of writers, artists and performers.

“I’m not surprised that there are at least 50 to 60 countries represented through Diaspora Dialogues – lots of voices from Asia, Africa and Northern Europe,” Walsh adds. “Often, people write about their own cultural background and we want to bring Toronto to life through literature.”

Mentoring new writers

Toronto’s iconic Old City Hall, a national historic site, was the stage for Diaspora Dialogues during Doors Open Toronto, an event that offers access to buildings with historical significance across the city.

“Often, people write about their own cultural background and we want to bring Toronto to life through literature.”

Jamaican-born and Ottawa-raised emerging writer Dianah Smith is one of 12 writers who presented their work at Old City Hall. As a teacher and arts educator, Smith joined Diaspora Dialogues in 2014 for its mentoring program, in which she paired-up with Jamaican-Canadian writer and media professional Martin Mordecai.

“For about six months, he helped me to get into [a] schedule of my draft and first novel, finalizing some of the scenes of my manuscript to get it ready for publication,” Smith says about her experience as a mentee.

“It’s a story about a seven-year-old girl, Jemela Campbell, and her experience in immigrating from Jamaica to Canada and her first year in Canada,” Smith explains.

The excerpt she reads is from the novel, with a working title The Promise of Foreign, which explores some of the challenges newcomer parents face in Canada such as finding work and keeping jobs.

“As a racialized person of colour, as an immigrant, you don’t really feel represented in the publishing world.”

Seeking recognition as writers

“As a racialized person of colour, as an immigrant, you don’t really feel represented in the publishing world,” Smith explains. “You have names like Margaret Atwood, mainly white and middle-class people.”

She says that while Diaspora Dialogues does not restrict white writers from participating, it also tries "to have alternative voices to give immigrants and indigenous people the opportunity to share their stories.”

Author Mia Herrera adds that working in the Canadian publishing and writing industry is precarious.

“A writer who publishes regularly makes a salary of about $12,000 a year. You can’t make a living on that,” she says.

Born to Filipino parents, Herrera now lives in Bradford, Ont. She works in communications and marketing and says she continues to write because it is her passion.

Smith says she is still in the process of finding an interested publisher for her novel. While her mentorship program ended last fall, she continues to participate in other programs led by Diaspora Dialogues such as Lunch and Learn events, workshops about pitching to agents, as well as mentee book readings such as the one at Old City Hall.

“These questions arise regularly for her, particularly as she lives in such a racially-charged town as Georgina.”

Shade tells the story of a Filipino-Canadian woman named Benni from the small town of Georgina, Ont., and her trip to the Philippines to visit her father.

“Georgina is a town in York region about an hour-and-a-half north of here that is somewhat notorious for racist acts – disputes about flying the Confederate flag in schools and repeated incidents of racially-driven assaults,” Herrera tells the audience at Old City Hall.

Georgina was the site of attacks against Asian Canadian fishermen in 2007, which involved car chases, damaged fishing gear, and anglers of Asian descent being pushed into the water.

The scene Herrera reads is from the beginning of the novel about a breakup between Benni and her long-time Chinese-Canadian boyfriend, Tom. Instead of hearing a proposal, Benni is shocked to learn that Tom has hesitations about their future together because he is concerned about how Benni’s race will affect him and his family’s business.

“As you will find in this scene and throughout my novel, Benni deals with questions of race and what it means to be a visible minority and second-generation immigrant in Canada,” Herrera says. “These questions arise regularly for her, particularly as she lives in such a racially-charged town as Georgina.”

“Her experiences in the Philippines allow her to take the long view of not just her life in Georgina, but of her life in Canada, and what it means to be Canadian,” she adds.

This content was developed exclusively for New Canadian Media and can be re-published with appropriate attribution. For syndication rights, please write to publisher@newcanadianmedia.ca

In Asia, as in the U.S. and Europe, millennials are emerging as the new darlings of marketers, manufacturers and retailers who see them carrying the economy in the coming decades.But as Asian economies enter into a maturity phase, the region's young adults born between 1980 and 2000 seem to be more cautious about spending and investing than their predecessors.A survey of individual investors published in late February by Manulife Asset Management, a Canadian asset manager, shows millennials do not spend much on things other than daily necessities, clothes and affordable entertainment. They keep 40% of their assets as cash or savings.

About 5,000 Asian millionaires left their homeland for Canada last year with Vancouver alone receiving some 2,000 of the global ultra-rich says a new report. San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver all experienced large millionaire inflows from China and South East Asia, said the report. According to the report by New World Wealth, some 4,000 wealthy Indians changed their domicile in 2015, while France saw the maximum outflow of millionaires with as many as 10,000 leaving. France was followed by China, with 9,000 leaving the country while Italy stood at third with 6,000 exits. The report said France is being heavily impacted by rising religious tension, especially in urban areas. "We expect that millionaire migration away from France will accelerate as these tensions escalate," it said. In terms of millionaire inflows, Australia topped the chart with 8,000 shifting base there, followed by the US (7,000) and Canada (5,000) in the second and third place respectively. "The outflows from India and China are not particularly concerning as these countries are still producing far more new millionaires than they are losing," the report said. This causes a massive wealth drain in India, media in India reported. In 2014, it was counted that Mumbai has more billionaires than Tokyo; but going by the rate of wealth drain, very soon we will lose this pride. Interestingly, this new report on exodus of the rich perfectly matches with our earlier report on the rich leaving India and choosing another country. Wall Street Journals reported that 43,400 Indian millionaires have left India in the last 10 years; whereas New World Wealth said that in the last 14 years, 61,000 Indian millionaires have ditched their motherland in the last 14 years. Why PM Modi’s Make in India and Digital India campaigns are failing to retain their best talent? Should the Government do something else to stop this wealth drain, a commentator asked.

Significant highlights from the Report

• Sydney is the city which received maximum number of new millionaires in 2015. 4000 or 4% new millionaires arrived in Sydney in 2015; Another Australian city Melbourne is ranked #2 as it received 3000 new millionaires. Tel Aviv was ranked #3; Dubai #4 (2000 new millionaires); San Francisco #5 and Vancouver was ranked #6. • Australian cities received maximum inflow of millionaires from China, Europe, UK, USA and South Africa • Tel Aviv received maximum millionaires from France • USA received maximum inflow from Asia and China • Dubai is attracting the millionaires from North Africa, notably Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Turkey • In London, 3000 new millionaires were formed, while 2500 left the city. Interestingly, those who left the city were UK citizens, while those who entered were Non-European citizens • Paris lost 6% of their millionaires in 2015; while Rome lost 7%; Chicago lost 2% and Athens in Greece lost massive 9% • Overall, top 5 countries where maximum millionaires moved in are: Australia (8000 new millionaires); USA (7000); Canada (5000); Israel (4000); UAE (3000) • Top 5 countries which lost maximum millionaires are: France (10,000 millionaires); China (9000); Italy (6000); India (4000); Greece (3000)

Why do millionaires leaving a country matter?

• Bad sign - millionaires are often the first people to leave. They have the means to leave unlike middle class citizens. • Money outflow – when millionaires leave a country, they take large amounts of money with them which impacts negatively on the local currency, local stock market and local property market. • Lost jobs - millionaires employ large numbers of people. Around 30% to 40% of millionaires are business owners. • Lost revenue and tax – millionaires spend a lot of money on local goods and services and pay a large amount of income tax. • Pensions & benefits - millionaires are not reliant on state pensions and benefits, which makes them a relatively easy and cheap group to please. • Resilient – millionaires are resilient to economic downturns and can keep an economy going during tough times. • Brain drain – millionaires are normally highly skilled and highly educated. Many are also innovators.

“We’ve never had a wide-ranging public debate on what kind of immigrants we need in this country,” says Valerie Knowles, author of Strangers at our Gates: Canadian Immigration and Immigration Policy, 1540 to 2015. “It’s something that’s long overdue,” she adds.

Originally published in 1988, the fourth edition of Strangers at our Gates was recently released by Dundurn Press. Knowles explains that while researching the subject of immigration, it became obvious to her that successive governments have made announcements – for example on the number of immigrants that Canada would accept - without ever engaging the public in a discussion that is so critical to the very fabric of the nation.

“It’s an emotionally charged issue and a difficult portfolio for any [immigration] minister,” she responds, when asked why Canadian politicians and policymakers have shied away from such a public debate.

Leading source on immigration history

Knowles’ book, however, is not a critique of any one government’s immigration policy or practices. Nor does it deal with the stories of individual immigrants or refugees, fascinating as many of them are. Nevertheless, it is a highly readable book.

A wide-ranging survey of Canadian immigration history from a public policy perspective, it is a cross between an academic thesis and a popular narrative. Written in a reader-friendly, high-end journalistic style, its content is substantiated by an extensive bibliography, endnotes, and interviews with key policymakers and academics.

“It’s the standard reference tool and the textbook of choice on immigration,” says Mike Molloy, President of the Canadian Immigration Historical Society. Molloy notes that the book – unlike many others on the same subject – is remarkably free from bitter arguments over minute distinctions or moral judgements taken out of historical context.

Indeed, Knowles is as objective as possible on a subject that can be a political and emotional minefield, carefully avoiding direct criticism of any government’s policy or practices.

Originally published in 1988 in response to a publisher’s request for a ‘survey’ history of Canadian immigration in 200 pages, the latest edition, released in 2016, is intended to cover the years since 2006 under the Conservative government of Stephen Harper.

“I will give Jason Kenney credit for making a concerted effort to woo the ethnic community.”

Too early to assess Trudeau

Knowles says that she failed to get an interview for the new edition with Jason Kenney, who was Immigration Minister from 2008 to 2013, despite sending him a copy of the earlier version of her book.

Questioned about her opinion on the differences between the Conservative government and the newly elected Liberal government’s approach to immigration, she says carefully: “It’s early days and too soon to form an opinion. I’d like to have a clearer picture before I make any judgement. However, restoring health benefits to refugee claimants is a positive move.”

“I will give Jason Kenney credit for making a concerted effort to woo the ethnic community,” she says. “Kenny embraced the portfolio with an enthusiasm that few immigration ministers ever did. It’s a difficult portfolio to fill.”

“These trends, which have transformed Canada into a truly global village, are now too strong to turn back.”

The last chapter of the book entitled, “Issues in the Twenty First Century,” is a balanced presentation of pro and anti-immigration advocates’ arguments. Indeed, it could be an effective launching pad for the very debate that Knowles says has been a glaring gap in Canadian public discourse.

“Research indicates that immigration does not cause unemployment, although the now-defunct Economic Council of Canada suggested that very rapid increases in immigration may lead to temporary rises in unemployment,” she writes.

Another equally significant question she raises in the same chapter relates to how we manage diversity.

“For the last four decades we have welcomed a steady stream of newcomers from Asia, the Middle East and Africa, most of whom have settled in Canada’s largest cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. These trends, which have transformed Canada into a truly global village, are now too strong to turn back.”

With this statement, Knowles highlights a point that is rarely discussed. She quotes Larry Bourne, a University of Toronto geographer and urban planner who observed; “We are turning a half-dozen cities into intensely multicultural and multilingual places and creating these fantastically vibrant, but under-serviced, cities while the rest of the country remains homogenous with a declining and aging population.”

Knowles goes on to report that in Bourne’s view, these two demographic solitudes are more important than the East-West divide.

Knowles modestly disclaims any “expertise” on the subject, pointing out that she is not an academic. Her research, however, is meticulous and her facts are well documented in her endnotes.

Indeed, Strangers at our Gates: Canadian Immigration Policy, 1540-2015 Fourth Edition, deserves a wider audience and could serve as a useful starting point of research for all those who shape Canada’s immigration and refugee policies.

Susan Korah is a Canadian journalist and communications professional of South Asian descent with over 20 years of experience. Her work has appeared inThe Toronto Star, Southam News Services, Catholic Register, Anglican Journal, The Intelligencerand The Trentonian. She has worked in communications for the Parliament of Canada, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and for Initiatives of Change International.

This content was developed exclusively for New Canadian Media and can be re-published with appropriate attribution. For syndication rights, please write to publisher@newcanadianmedia.ca

BRITISH Columbia is moving to strengthen and diversify trade in Asian markets in order to grow the economy. Through a new Asia trade strategy, the Province will be opening trade and investment representative offices in Southeast Asia, developing a new strategy for India and expanding its activities in mid-size Chinese cities. Through the actions identified […]

Asians increasingly think retirement should be funded by the individual, a departure from the traditional view that the elderly should be cared for by the family, according to newly released survey data released.

"Despite the current high-level of dependence [on family members], people don't want it this way," said Richard Jackson, founder of the Global Aging Institute.

It conducted the From Challenge to Opportunity: Wave 2 of the East Asia Retirement Survey. The institute surveyed people aged 20 or more who were the main earners.

Just six to 13 per cent of respondents in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines said grown children or other family members should provide financial support for the retired.

The majority of respondents said either governments and individuals should be responsible for providing income to retired people.

"I know China has a law saying children have to look after their parents, but good luck enforcing it."

The Philippines and Thailand saw 66 per cent of respondents say the government should be responsible for providing retirement income, the highest rates among those surveyed.

Places with a rapidly ageing population and pension schemes whose payouts are decreasing because of this burden like South Korea saw just 23 per cent of respondents say the government should be responsible.

Sixty-one per cent of South Korean respondents said individuals should be responsible for their own retirement.

Reflective of 'selfish Western values'

Jackson attributed the change to the rise of "selfish Western values" as Asia's economies grow, and the decline in the size of families.

He also warned current retirement systems in Asia were not robust enough and risked leaving significant proportions of the elderly population destitute and a burden on social services.

While it is difficult to predict numbers, he said: "Fifty-five per cent of Indonesians [surveyed] aren't going to get [a pension], 80-90 per cent expect to live with their grown children, and when retired expect to have income from a business or job."

"I know China has a law saying children have to look after their parents, but good luck enforcing it," said Jackson.

[O]ne person "may need to provide for 14 people."

In China's case, successive generations of one-child families could leave many couples relying on a single offspring, another expert said.

That one person "may need to provide for 14 people," said Alfred Cheung, director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Hong Kong's Lingnan University.

Follow in Australia's footsteps

But as people realize that neither family nor the state can be relied on in old age, "individuals are becoming more concerned and caring about their own retirement - especially now we live into such long years," Cheung said.

The Global Aging Institute's Jackson recommended governments enact fund-based pension schemes and raise the amount of mandatory contributions, and for the poor that may not be able to save as much have a government matching scheme.

"Two for every one you put in," said Jackson.

Australia's pension system and social safety net was an example of a robust model, he said.

He also advised governments to raise the retirement age and for both the public and private sector to support financial products that do not give lump sum payments, but monthly retirement income streams.

"It's to protect people against the consequences of bad choices," said Jackson.

The report was funded by financial services company Prudential. Some 750 to a 1000 people were surveyed in each country in a random sampling.

Filipinos and Indians are the most worried about climate change with less than a fifth of China’s population showing any great level of concern, says a new study by the Pew Research Center.

The recent international survey shows that Filipinos perceive climate change as the biggest global threat with 72 per cent of Filipinos saying they are “very concerned” about climate change.

It emerged as the top concern among Filipinos, even beating out concern for tensions with China over the West Philippine Sea. The China issue came in second place, with 56 per cent of Filipinos saying they were very concerned about it, reported Rappler.com

The same survey also asked about their level of concern for issues like global economic stability, cyber attacks, and terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The results are not surprising as the Philippines ranks among the countries most exposed to threats of a disrupted climate.

Climate change turns out to be “the most widespread concern” of all the issues in the survey, according to the Pew Research Center. In 19 out of the 40 countries surveyed, citizens deemed climate change the most worrisome threat.

The Philippines is one of 10 countries most worried about climate change, coming in sixth place. The list is topped by African country Burkina Faso (79 per cent).

The results are not surprising as the Philippines ranks among the countries most exposed to threats of a disrupted climate.

Eight of the 10 most disaster-prone cities are in the Philippines, according to a 2015 study.

The Philippines was also the country that suffered most from climate change in 2013, says another study.

Asia, Latin America, Africa most vulnerable

Latin America, Africa and Asia are particularly concerned about climate change, the survey found out.

In Latin America, a median of 61 per cent are very concerned about the issue, the highest statistic for an entire region.

Sub-Saharan Africa comes in second place with a median of 59 per cent saying it is a top concern.

Studies by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change show that [Latin America, Asia and Africa] will experience the most dramatic rises in temperature.

In Asia, a median of 41 per cent said the same. Half of all Asian countries surveyed identified climate change as its biggest concern. In the region, Indians (73 per cent) and Filipinos are the most worried.

The three regions are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Studies by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change show that they will experience the most dramatic rises in temperature.

Such a rise is expected to have disastrous consequences on such crucial sectors as agriculture, fisheries, health, food security and water security.Asia is also home to island-states threatened by sea level rise, yet another outcome of unabated climate disruption.

Countries least concerned play biggest role in change

Europe is not as concerned about the phenomenon, the survey showed.

No European country identified climate change as one of its top two concerns. Anxiety in the region is lowest in Poland, with only 14 per cent saying they were very concerned with the issue.

Together with Israel (also 14 per cent), Poland is the country least worried about climate change.

The growth of [US, China and Europe's] economies, powered heavily by fossil fuels, is responsible for most of the carbon emissions which have led to the planet’s warming.

What’s one other country not sweating over global warming? China, apparently, with only 19 per cent of respondents saying climate change is a top concern.

In the United States, climate change is the second least worrisome issue.

Only 42 per cent of American respondents said they were very concerned with the phenomenon. The only issue they are less worried about is the territorial disputes with China (30 per cent).

US, China, and Europe also happen to be the economies seen to have the biggest responsibilities in curbing climate change.

The growth of their economies, powered heavily by fossil fuels, is responsible for most of the carbon emissions which have led to the planet’s warming.

The Pew Research Center survey was conducted in 40 countries among 45,435 respondents from March 25 to May 27, 2015.

It comes four months before the much-awaited United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's 21st Conference of Parties (COP21). The conference, to be held in Paris, is expected to produce a global deal through which countries agree on how to curb climate change before it’s too late.

The global goal is to stop the earth’s warming from going over 2 degrees Celsius, the level of warming at which scientists say climate change becomes irreversible and catastrophic.

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The honest truth is there is still reluctance around immigration policy... When we want to talk about immigration and we say we want to bring more immigrants in because it's good for the economy, we still get pushback.